Dispensing container



Jan. 11, 1966 Filed Sept. 22, 1964 R. W. NERENBERG ETAL DISPENSINGCONTAINER 3 SheetsSheet 1 Fig.1

Fig.2

5 INVENTORS, Rom-r WNm-mazzaauo Ammo B. KLEINGEE'SJR.,

ATTORNEYS,

1966 R. w. NERENBERG ETAL 3,

DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed Sept. 22, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2,4 10 [1 III INVENTORS,

I Roam WBNERENBERG 3ND 0.. L 5: LFRED LEmC-ERs ATTORN EYS- 1966 R. w.NERENBERG ETAL 3,223,573

DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed Sept. 22, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig-5 Fi .6Fig-8 INVENTORS. Roaaar W. Nsasnscaa mo ALFRED B4 KLimaaksJa,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,228,573 DISPENSING CONTAINER Robert W. Nerenbergand Alfred B. Kleingers, Jr., Middletown, Ohio, assignors to TheInterstate Folding Box Company, Middletown, Ohio, a corporation of OhioFiled Sept. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 398,235 8 Claims. (Cl. 222485) Thisinvention relates to paperboard containers and more particularly to acontainer which may be utilized to dispense and spread its contents inan essentially uniform and even manner.

The container of the instant invention will find particular utility inthe handling of diverse products such as grass seed, plant food,fertilizer, weed killer and the like intended to be evenly spread over arelatively large area. While such materials have heretofore beenpackaged in paperboard containers, it was necessary to either depositthe contents of the container in a mechanical spreader for evendistribution or else dispensethe contents by hand. Even distribution isdiflicult to obtain when dispensing by hand, and in addition requiresthe physical handling of the product itself, which is objectionable tosome persons.

A principal object of the instant invention is the provi sion ofaone-piece knock-down container'structure incorporating dispensing meanswhich permit the contents of the containers to be spread in anessentially even and uniform manner without the user having tophysically handle the contents.

Still a further object of the instant invention is the provision of adispensing container of the character described wherein the dispenser isan integral part of the carton body, the arrangement of parts being suchthat the raising of a flap automatically acts to open a series ofdispensing openings by means of which the contents may be discharged,the liftable flap when open additionally serving as a spreader barcoacting with the openings to discharge the contents in a uniform andeven manner.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a dispensingcontainer of the character described which may be employed with .orwithout a liner, depending upon the nature of the packaged material. Forexample, if the material readily absorbs moisture, the container may belined with a material which will serve to proof the contents againstmoisture. Similarly, a liner may be employed where the material beingpackaged would tend to discolor or soil the container.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a dispensingcontainer which, in addition to the dispensing means for spreading thematerial, is provided with a second dispensing opening by means of whichthe contents of the container may be readily dispensed in bulk withoutthe spreading feature.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a dispensingcontainer of the character described which is of relatively simple andinexpensive construction and of such character that it can be readilyfabricated using conventional carton handling and filling equipment.

The foregoing together with other objects of the invention which willappear hereinafter or which will be apparent to the skilled worker inthe art upon reading this specification, are accomplished by thatconstruction and arrangement of parts of which an exemplary embodimentshall now be described.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a one-piece carton blank for a dispensingcontainer in accordance with the instant invention, the view alsoshowing the application of adhesive to parts of the carton blank as aninitial step in the folding and gluing operations.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view similar to FIGURE 1 but illustrating theapplication of a tubular liner to the blank.

FIGURE 3 is also a plan view illustrating the infolding of one end ofthe blank to overlie the liner.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view illustrating the assembled carton in thefiat-folded or knocked-down condition.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view illustrating the erected container withone end closed and sealed and the remaining end opened for filling.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view illustrating the filled and sealedcontainer in condition for shipment and storage.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view illustrating the container in dispensingposition.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective View showing the opposite side of thecontainer which contains a pouring spout for the bulk discharge of thecontents.

Referring first to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the container blank will beformed from paperboard or boxboard which has been cut and scored todefine enclosing body walls 1, 2, 3 and 4 in side-by-side articulation,the body wall 4 terminating along its free side edge in a narrowattachment flap 5. A dispenser flap 6 is hingedly connected to the freeside edge of body wall 1, the flap 6 being of a width somewhatless thanthe width of the opposing body walls 2 and 4 and having an outwardlyprojecting locking tongue 7. Preferably, the combined widths of thedispensing flap 6 and locking tongue 7 will be no greater than the widthof body wall 4 which they are adapted to overlie."

End closure flaps 8, 9, 10 and 11 are hingedly connected to the upperends of the body walls 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively; and similarly, endclosure flaps 12, 13, 14 and 15 are hingedly connected to the oppositeend of the said body walls. A series of U-shaped tabs 16 are formed inthe body wall 4 by lines of cut 17, the tabs having their base edges 18connected to the attachment flap 5 so as to be integral therewith.Preferably, however, the edges 18 will be defined by lines of slit whichdo not pass entirely through the thickness of the boxboard butnonetheless facilitate the displacement of the tabs from the plane ofthe body wall 4 in the manner to be hereinafter explained. Thedisplacement of the tabs defines a series of dispensing openings 19 (seeFIGURE 7) extending lengthwise of body wall 4 immediately adjacentdispenser fiap 6. The number of such dispensing openings does notconstitute a limitation on the invention, although preferably theopenings will extend throughout essentially the full length of body wall4 at spaced apart intervals.

The body wall 4 also contains an elongated slot 20 which is of a size toreceive the locking tongue 7 forming a part of dispenser flap 6. Inaddition, body wall 2 is preferably provided with a pouring spout 21having a lift tab 22 by means of which the spout may be opened where itis desired to discharge the contents in bulk. Such pouring spout doesnot constitute a limitation on the invention, although it may beconveniently constructed in accordance with the teachings of U.S. PatentNo. 2,820,585,

issued January 21, 1958 and entitled Pouring Opening For Containers. Thecarton blank just described may be readily folded and glued to form aknocked-down structure by advancing .it through conventional cartonfolding and gluing equipment, the blank being moved in the direction ofthe arrow A seen in FIGURES 1 through 4. As the initial step in itsfabrication, areas of adhesive are applied to the body walls 2 and 4,and to attachment flap 5. In the drawings, the areas of adhesive areindicated by shaded lines 23. It will be noted that while adhesive isapplied to the pouring spout structure 21, the liftable tab 22 remainsfree of adhesive, as dothe U-shaped tabs 16. A tubular liner 24, as seenin FIGURE 2, is then deposited on the blank so as to overlie the bodywalls 2' and 3. Preferably, the tubular liner will be open at both endsand will be of a length such that it will overlie not only the bodywalls 2 and 3 but also the end closure flaps 9, 10 at the uppermost endof the blank and the closure flaps 13 and 14 at the lowermost endthereof. The liner will be caused to adhere to body wall 2 by reason ofthe adhesive thereon, and the liner will also be adhered to the pouringspout structure 21 excepting for the pull-tab 22. The material fromwhich the liner is formed does not constitute a limitation on theinvention. It may be formed from diverse materials, such as non-fibrousfilms and laminates composed of paper and foil which in turn may becoated or uncoated. If desired, the liner may be closed across itslowermost end prior to its association with the container blank,although preferably the lowermost end will be sealed and infoldedsubsequent to the erection of the container body.

Subsequent to the deposit of the liner on the blank, the body wall 4 andthe flaps connected thereto will be infolded to the position illustratedin FIGURE 3, thereby bringing the adhesive areas on the body wall 4 andattachment flap 5 into contact with the underlying portions of theliner. At this juncture, adhesive is applied to the upper surfaces ofthe tabs 16, as indicated by the shaded areas 25 in FIGURE 3; and at thesame time spots of adhesive 26 are applied to the uppermost surface ofbody wall 4 in areas lying beyond the outermost ends of the tabs 16.Preferably the spots of adhesive 26 will lie within the confines ofcircular cuts 27 which puncture the surface of the paperboard blank butdo not extend completely therethrough.

Following the application of adhesive to the uppermost surface of bodywall 4, the opposite side of the blank is infolded along the line ofarticulation of body walls 1 and 2, thereby bringing the parts to thecondition illustrated in FIGURE 4 wherein it will be seen that thedispenser flap 6 has been juxtaposed to body wall 4, thereby causing thedispenser flap to be adhesively secured to the tabs 16 and to theremainder of body wall 4 in the areas of the adhesive spots 26. Thestructure is thus tubed and in its knocked-down or flat-folded conditionin which it may be shipped and stored prior to erection and filling.

In the hands of the packager, the container structure is erected byexpanding the now tubed body walls which acts to simultaneously expandthe liner, whereupon the lowermost end of the liner is sealed andinfolded, followed by the infolding and sealing of the closure flaps 12,13, 14 and 15. The container structure is then positioned with theclosed and sealed end lowermost, as seen in FIG- URE 5, whereupon thecontents is introduced into the container through the open upper end.The remaining end of the liner is then sealed and infolded together withthe closure flaps 8, 9, and 11, which are sealed together to completethe package. The erected and sealed package is illustrated in FIGURE 6.The package is then ready for distribution and sale to the ultimateconsumer.

If the consumer wishes to utilize the'pa-ckage as a spreader to dispensethe contents in an essentially uniform and even manner, the user gripsthe tongue 7 and lifts upwardly on the dispenser flap 6 so as to causethe flap 6 nection, it will be rememberedthat the dispenser flap issecured to the underlying body wall only in the areas of the adhesivespots 26 and the tabs 16. The circular lines of cuts surrounding theadhesive spots 26 permit the enclosed areas of boxboar-d to readily tearaway from the body wall 4; and the dispenser flap also causes the tabs16 to be displaced from the plane of the body wall and hence serve todefine the dispensing openings 19. The dispensing position of thecontainer is seen in FIGURE 7 wherein it will be seen that the adhesivespots 26 have torn away from body wall 4, leaving surface areas of theboxboard ruptured, as indicated at 26a. At the same time, the tabs 16remain adhered to dispenser flaps 6 and the dispensing openings 19 arefullyexposed. The portions of the liner underlying the openings 19 canbe readily punctured to permit the contents to flow through thedispensing openings. As the contents flow through the openings, it willpass over the dispenser flap which acts as a spreader bar to effectivelydistribute the contents as a relatively thin layer. If less than thefull contents of the container is dispensed, it may be readily reclosedby i'nfolding the dispenser flaps 6 and inserting locking tongue 7 inslot 19.

In the event the user wishes to discharge the contents in bulk or in aconcentrated area, the pouring spout structure 21 may be opened bypushing inwardly on the part 21, which breaks away from the body wall 2and also punctures the underlying portion of the liner, whereupon thepull tab 22 is utilized to withdraw the pouring spout, thereby definingthe bulk dispensing opening 28 seen in FIGURE 8. The opening 28 may bereclosed by folding the body of the structure inwardly until itre-ente-rs the opening.

The instant invention thus provides a dispensing container ideal fordiverse products, especially those which need a large spout for quickdischarge in a concentrated area and also controlled spreading for largeareas. The construction for the container is such that the dispenserflap may be readily opened when it is desired to use the spreaderopenings, whereupon the protective liner may be easily punctured by anysharp object. The tabs 16 which define the dispensing openings alsoserve to reinforce and strengthen the dispenser flap 6 so that it willextend freely outwardly to serve as a spreader bar even under the weightof the contents as it is shaken from the container. The tabsadditionally serve as attachment means for effectively connecting theadjoining edges of body walls 1 and 4. That is, in the preferredembodiment of the invention the attachment flap 5 is not secured toadjoining body wall 1; rather, it remains unsecured-although it may besecured on its inner surface to the liner-and it is the tabs 16 whicheffectively serve to join the body walls together. Such arrangement hasbeen found to be particularly advantageous in the larger sizes ofcontainers which utilize relatively heavy boxboard. Where the attachmentflap of the container is adhesively secured to the adjoining body wall,as in conventional carton construction, the erection of the flat-foldedblank places the dispenser flap under considerable strain due to themultiple thickness of board along the corner edge of the containerbetween the body walls 1 and 4. This strain tends to cause the dispenserflap to move or slip relative to the body Wall 4 to which it is securedand hence tends to break the seals formed by the spots of adhesive 26.Such condition is alleviated by utilizing the tabs 16 to effectivelyjoin the body walls 1 and 4 together since, where this is done, thespaced apart arrangement of the tabs allows suflicient flexibility orgive in the connection between body walls 1 and 4 to alleviate thestrain on the dispenser flap when the container body is erected.

Modifications may, of course, be made in the invention without departingfrom its spirit and purpose. For example, the dispensing container maybe used without the liner where the nature of the product permits suchuse. Similarly, there will be instances wherein the size of the cartonand the weight of the board from which it is formed will permit theadhesive attachment of the attachment flap to the adjoining body walls.

It also may be pointed out that the application of adhesive to the uppersurfaces of tabs 16 as well as the adhesive spots 26 may cause registryproblems, particularly in a high speed folding and gluing operation. Insuch event, the adhesive areas 17 and 26 may be replaced by twolongitudinal strips of adhesive on the upper surface of dispenser flap 6oriented to overlie the tabs 16 and circular cuts 27 when the dispenserflap 6 is juxtaposed to body wall 4, as seen in FIGURE 4. Where this isdone, body wall 4 will be printed with an adhesive repellant inkexcepting in the areas of tabs 16 and circular cuts 27. Thus, when theadhesive stripes on the dispenser flap 6 contact body Wall 4, they willadhere to the unprinted tabs and circular cuts but not to the printedareas constituting the remainder of the body wall 4. Such expedienteliminates the registry control problem otherwise encountered.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A dispensing container formed from a one-piece paperboard cartonblank having first, second, third and fourth body walls in side-by-sidearticulation in the order named, a dispenser flap hingedly connected tothe free side edge of said first body wall, an attachment flap hingedlyconnected to the free side edge of said fourth body wall, a plurality ofdisplaceable tabs formed in said fourth body wall, said tabs lying inspaced apart relation lengthwise of said fourth body wall with theirbase edges coinciding with the hinged connection between said fourthbody wall and said attachment flap, whereby said tabs are hingedlyconnected to said attachment flap, said container being assembled withsaid dispenser fiap overlying said fourth body wall with its line ofhinge connection to said first body wall overlying the line ofconnection of said attachment flap to said fourth body Wall, saiddispenser flap being adhesively secured to said fourth body wall Withinthe areas of said displaceable tabs, said dispenser flap beingdetachably secured to areas of said fourth body wall outside the areasof said displaceable tabs, whereby, when it is desired to dispense thecontents of the container, outward displacement of said dispenser flaprelative to said fourth body wall will result in the outwarddisplacement of said displaceable tabs to define dispensing openingswhich coact with said dispenser flap to provide a spreader by means ofwhich the contents of the container may be dispensed over a large areain an essentially even and uniform manner.

2. A dispensing container claimed in claim 1 wherein said dispenser flaphas a locking tongue projecting outwardly from the free side edgethereof, wherein the comhined width of said dispenser flap and saidlocking tongue is no greater than the width of said fourth body wall,and wherein said fourth body wall has a slit therein positioned toreceive said locking tongue upon reclosure of said dispenser flap.

3. The dispensing container claimed in claim 2 wherein a pouring spoutstructure is formed in a wall of said container other than said fourthwall, said pouring spout structure providing a means for the bulkdischarge of the contents of said container.

4. A dispensing container formed from a one-piece paperboard cartonblank having first, second, third and fourth body walls in side-by-sidearticulation in the order named, a dispenser flap hingedly connected tothe free side edge of said first body wall, an attachment flap hingedlyconnected to the free side edge of said fourth body wall, a plurality ofdisplaceable tabs formed in said fourth body wall, said tabs lying inspaced apart relation lengthwise of said fourth body wall with theirbase edges coinciding'with the hinged connection be tween said fourthbody wall and said attachment flap, whereby said displaceable tabs arehingedly connected to said attachment flap, said container beingassembled with said dispenser flap overlying said fourth body wall withits line of hinged connection to said first body wall overlying the lineof connection of said attachment flap to said fourth body wall, saiddispenser flap being adhesively secured to said fourth body wall withinthe areas of said displaceable tabs, said dispenser flap beingdetachably secured to areas of said fourth body wall lying outside theareas of said displaceable tabs, and a tubular liner disposed withinsaid body walls and juxtaposed to the inner surfaces thereof, whereby,when it is desired to dispense the contents of the container, outwarddisplacement of said dispenser flap relative to said fourth body wallwill result in the outward displacement of said tabs to definedispensing openings through which portions of the underlying liner areexposed which may be punctured to provide a spreader by means of whichthe contents of the container may be dispensed over a large area in anessentially even and uniform manner.

5. The dispensing container claimed in claim 4 wherein said attachmentflap underlies the free side edge of said first body wall and is freefrom attachment thereto, said first and fourth body walls beingeffectively connected together by means of the adhesive engagementbetween said dispenser fiap and said tabs.

6. The dispensing container claimed in claim 5 wherein said dispenserflap is detachably secured to said fourth body wall by means of spacedapart spots of adhesive which are adapted to be ruptured when saiddispenser flap is opened.

7. The dispensing container claimed in claim 6 wherein a locking tongueprojects outwardly from the free side edge of said dispenser flap,wherein the combined width of said dispenser flap and said lockingtongue is no greater than the width of said fourth body wall, andwherein said fourth body wall has a slot therein positioned to receiveand engage said locking tongue upon reclosure of said dispenser flap.

8. A dispensing container formed from a one-piece carton blank havingfirst, second, third and fourth body walls in side-by-side articulationin the order named, a dispenser flap hingedly connected to the free sideedge of said first body wall, an attachment flap hingedly connected tothe free side edge of said fourth body wall, a plurality of displaceabletabs formed in said fourth body wall, said tabs having their base edgescoinciding with the hinged connection between said fourth body wall andsaid attachment flap, whereby said tabs are connected along their baseedges to said attachment flap, said displaceable tabs lying in spacedapart relation lengthwise of said fourth body wall and acting, whendisplaced from said fourth body wall, to define a plurality ofdispersing openings through which the contents of the container may bedispensed, said container being assembled with said dispenser flapoverlying said fourth body wall and adhesively secured thereto in theareas of said tabs, said dispenser flap being detachably secured toareas of said fourth body wall lying beyond said tabs by means of spacedapart spots of adhesive which are adapted to be ruptured when saiddispenser flap is opened, said attachment flap underlying the free sideedge of said first body wall and being free from attachment thereto,said first and fourth body walls being effectively connected together bymeans of the adhesive engagement between said dispenser flap and saidtabs, :1 locking tongue projecting outwardly from the free side edge ofsaid dispenser flap, the combined width of said dispenser flap and saidlocking tongue being no greater than the width of said fourth body wall,said fourth body wall having a slot therein positioned to receive andengage said locking tongue upon reclosure of said dispenser fiap, atubular liner disposed within said body walls and juxtaposed to theinner surfaces thereof, whereby, when it is de sired to dispense the.contents of the container, said dispenser flap may be opened so as toexpose portions of the liner underlying sa'id tabs, whereupon theexposed portions of the liner may be punctured to provide a spreader bymeans of which the contents may be ,dispensed over a large area in anessentially even and uniform manner, and a pouring spout structureformed in said second body Wall adjacent one end thereof, said pouringspout structure including a body part adhesively secured to theunderlying portion of said liner, and a lift tab which is free fromattachment to said liner, whereby said body part may be displacedinwardly to rupture said liner, whereupon said tab may be used towithdraw the body part to define a dispensing opening through which thecontents of the container may be dispensed in bulk in a concentratedarea JOSEPH R.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Berkowitz.

Moore 229-14 Walter et a1. 229-17 X Kuchenbecker 229-51 Nerengerg et a1.229-17 Tyrseck 229-51 X Brostal 229-14 Green 229-51 Wadlinger et a1.222-485 LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. 15

e D. T. MOORHEAD, Assistant Examiner.

1. A DISPENSING CONTAINER FORMED FROM A ONE-PIECE PAPERBOARD CARTONBLANK HAVING FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH BODY WALLS IN SIDE-BY-SIDEARTICULATION IN THE ORDER NAMED, A DISPENSER FLAP HINGEDLY CONNECTED TOTHE FREE SIDE EDGE OF SAID FIRST BODY WALL, AN ATTACHMENT FLAP HINGEDLYCONNECTED TO THE FREE SIDE EDGE OF SAID FOURTH BODY WALL, A PLURALITY OFDISPLACEABLE TABS FORMED IN SAID FOURTH BODY WALL, SAID TABS LYING INSPACED APART RELATION LENGTHWISE OF SAID FOURTH BODY WALL WITH THEIRBASE EDGES COINCIDING WITH THE HINGED CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID FOURTHBODY WALL AND SAID ATTACHMENT FLAP, WHEREBY SAID TABS ARE HINGEDLYCONNECTED TO SAID ATTACHMENT FLAP, SAID CONTAINER BEING ASSEMBLED WITHSAID DISPENSER FLAP OVERLYING SAID FOURTH BODY WALL WITH ITS LINE OFHINGE CONNECTION TO SAID FIRST BODY WALL OVERLYING THE LINE OF CON-